Loader



Nov. 9, 1943. 1.. JONES ETAL LOADER Filed Nov. 15, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTORJ LrNN JUNEE v Em Emma Patented -Nov. 9, 1943 LOADER Lynn Jonesand Guy Blake. Indianola, Iowa, as signors, by mesne assignments, to NewMethod Equipment Company, a corporation or Iowa Application November 15,1941, Serial No. 419,311

7 Claims. (Cl. 214-439) The principal object of this invention is toprovide a loader that may be secured to a tractor or the like, that islight in weight, eillcient in operation and positive in action.

A further object of our invention is to provide a loader having a scoopor shovel portion thereon that will, when in operation, receive astraight thrust from the rear axle ofthe tractor for a greater power andone which utilizes the inclined plane principle for hoisting the loadedscoop, thereby requiring a minimum of power arrangement and combinationof the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contem platedare attained as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in myclaims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of our loader secured to a tractor andin a semi-raised posinon.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the forward portion or the loadermechanism and scoop.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged front cross sectional view of the loader taken online 3-3 of Fig. 2 showing the structure of the slide-lift mechanism.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side cross sectional view of the dump scoop latchassembly mechanism and is taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2. I

Fig. 5 is an enlarged front elevational view of the winch and driveassembly of the loader mechanism.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged side elevational view oi thelscoop element in adumped position.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged iront elevational view of the latch assemblyshowing the adjustable latch plate.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged side elevational view of the winch-drive assembly.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged perspective View oi the head portion placed on topof the vertical guide tracks i'or permitting an addition to the top ofvertical guide tracks.

Heretofoi'e loading mechanisms have been or" generally a type such asthe steam shovel, or

the common hand-operated loading scoops. These types were difficult touse and did not lend themselves well to all-around use, being only goodfor large operations or tor removing dirt or the like. These scoops didnot aid a farmer in the everyday problems arising for the removal ofdirt, for trenching, for loading manure and the like, and they requiredreadycut dirt by not having sufilcient power, or by not being eflicientenough to cut their own path for the loading of material onto the scoopor container. We have overcome such disadvan tages as will hereinaiterbe more fully set forth.

Referring to the drawings, we have used the numeral 80 to indicate atractor having the rear: wheels ii and rear axle i2 as shown by dottedlines in Fig. 1 of the drawings. It is to such a vehicle that we attachour device which we will now describe. The numerals I3 and i4 indicatetwo vertical guide track bars parallel to each other and secured to theframe of the tractor. through the medium of the beams it and isrespectively. The numerals El and i8 indicate two vertical slidescapable of slideiciy engaging the track members it and i5 and havingsecured thereto a, horizontal cross beam is as shown in Fig. 3 of thedrawings. These slide members i! and i8 are further braced by the beams20 and braces 2!. 0n either end of the beam i3 are the hanger members 22and 23 having rotaably mounted in the lower portion thereof the rollers24 and 215 respectively. This whole assembly is capable of sliding onthe vertical track members 63 and is. The numerals26 and 2? indicate twobeams each having their rearward ends pivotaliy secured to the axle i2of the tractor it through the medium of the bearing members 28 as shownin Fig. 1. These beams extend through the hangers 22 and 23rescectively, and are supported by the rofiers and 25 respectively.Pivotally secured to the forward ends of the beams 28 and 27 is a scoopor shovel 29 which may be fitted with tines iii. or a shovel bottomportion 3|. This shovel bottom portion 3i may be extended by the use ofremovable plates or the like 32 as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2 ofthe drawings. Rigidly secured to the rearward portion or" the scoop 2ais a latch bar or like it. The numeral 36 sates a lever member rigidlysecured v 3 rearward end. of the secop 23, whose function willhereinaiter be described. We have used the numeral as to a latch hangerpivotaliy secured to a cross beam 36 whi h err-tends between the channelbrace members 26 and This latch mechanism has thereon an adjustableplate element 91 which may be vertically adjusted, and which is capableof receiving the latch bar 93 when the scoop is in a normal operativeposition. The numeral 99 indicates a slide-way rigidlysecured to theside of the member 35 and capable of receiving an operating lever 99 asshown in the drawings. This operting the operator to release the latch99 and permitting the scoop member to drop down, thereby depositing itsload. We have used the numeral 44 to indicate ahead plate capable ofbeing detachably secured to the upper ends of the vertical guide tracksI 3 and I4 and having mounted thereon a pulley wheel 49, an arm 48, andan arm 41 as shown in Fig. 9, of the drawings. The numeral 49 indicatesa chain, cable' or like having one end secured to the lever member 34,passing downwardly and around the beam 39 through a suitable housing andthence passing upwardly and having its other end secured to the lowerportion of a tension spring 49. The other end of this tension spring 49issecured to the arm 41. Thenumeral 50 indicates a stop plate capableofbeing placed on any one of the lengths of the chain 49 and provides astop when the chain has reached a Dre-determined position.

By this structure, when the scoop 29 is in a raised position, and therope 49 is pulled, the latch member 39 will disengage the latch bar II,permitting the'scoop to empty its load and assume the position shown inFig. 6 of the drawings; As the beams 29 and 21 are lowered, the chainmember 49 will again pull the scoop 29 to such a position that the latchbar 99 will engage the hole in the plate 31 for retaining the scoop inits normal position.

To provide the functioning means for the device, we have provided awinch assembly which will be described. The numeral indicates a framemember secured to the rearward portion- 0f the vertical guide rails l3and I4 as shown in Fig. -5. The numeral 52 indicatesa pulley wheelcapable of being operated by,the power take-off of a tractor through themedium of a belt or the like. This pulley wheel isrigidly secured toashaft" which is rotatably mounted in the frame II. The numeral54indicate's a friction wheel rigidly secured to the shaft 53 within theframe ii. I have usedthe numeral 55 to indicate ashaft. having one endrotatably mounted in the frame BI and its other end extending a brakeshoe 6| capable of contacting and holding the transmission wheel 59 whenthe lever 51 is moved, so that the end of the shaft 55 is in a raisedposition. When the shaft 55 is in a raised position, the transmissionwheel 59 is out of engagement withithe friction wheel 54. The

numeral 92 indicates a sprocket gear rigidly secured to the shaft 59.The numeral 63 indicates a winch or drum mounted on an axle or shaftwhich is rotatably supported in the frame ii. The numeral 94 indicates asprocket wheel secured to the winch-drum assembly, permitting this drumto be operated by a chain 65 which extends over the sprocket gear 64 and62. The numeral 66 indicates a cable having one end secured to the drum93, extending up and over the pulley member on the top member 44,-

thence downwardly and about a pulley wheel 61 'rotatably mounted on thebeam l9, and thence upwardly to the arm 49. The numerals 89 indicateguide members secured to the beam l9 for preventing the-displacement ofthe cable 81.

Thus, when power is applied to the pulley wheel 52 and the lever 51 ismoved, so that the wheel 59 is in contact with the friction wheel 54,the

drum 0: will be rotated, thereby winding the 1 cable about the drum andpulling the slide member or cross beam 19 upwardly. This raises theforward ends of the beams 29 and 21, thereby raising the scoop member 29to its upper position. As the lever 51 is moved in the other direction,

the transmission wheel 59 will be out of engage-' ment with the frictionwheel 54, permitting the weight of the scoop 29 to lower the wholeassembly until the lever 58 is moved further in its forward direction,which permits the wheel 59 to contact the brake shoe 8|, therebypermitting the slowing down or stopping of the scoop assembly at anypoint of itsv elevation.

The practical operation of our device is as follows:

The beams 26 and 21 are'secured at their-rearward ends to the pivotalconnection 28, and the beams I 5 and it are secured to the tractor.

'7 These beams are then lowered to the ground so that the scoop portion29 is adjacent to or touches the earth or the material to be loaded.

The tractor is then run forwardly picking up the material, and when thescoop 29 is loaded, the operator will pull rearwardly on the rod 59,putting the transmission wheel 59 in contact with the friction wheel 94,thereby operating the winch 69, which, through the medium of, the cable66, will pull upwardly on'the beam l9, causing the slides l1 and It toslide upwardly I on the vertical guides l8 and I4 respectivelyto aposition such as shown in Fig. l of the drawings. The operator thenpulls on the cable or through a ertical slot 59 and rotatably'secured toa lever member 51 as shown in Fig- 8 of the drawings. This "lever memberhas one end pivoted to the frame BI, and its other end extendingupwardly and having an operating bar 59 secured to its upper end, whichextends back to a point adjacent the driver of the tractor for pulleywheel 52. Supported on a cross arm 90 is cord 43, thereby pulling thelatch plate 91 out of engagement with the latch bar 83 and permittingthe scoop to dump by virtue of the load carried therein to a position asshown in Fig. 6 of the drawings. If the scoop is in its extreme topposition or thereabouts, the plate 50 will prevent the chain from goingtoo far through the tunnel loop on the beam 99. To lower the device toits operating position, it is then merely necessary to push-forwardly onthe rod 59 so that the transmission wheel 59 is out of .engagement withthe friction wheel 54. The weight of the scoop assembly and latchingmechanism will cause the whole assembly'to drop until the chain 49tightens, thereby pulling the scoop back to its normal operatingposition and forcing the latch, bar 39 into a locked position within thehole inthe plate 31. The assembly 35 has been .retumed to position bythe spring 42 when the cable 43 is released by the operator. The entireassembly can be stopped at any point of its downward movement by pushingforwardly on the rod 58, thereby bringing the transmission wheel 59 intoengagement with the brake shoe BI and stopping the entire action. Whilethe assembly is being raised, the beams 26 and 21 ride on the rollers 24and 25, and the pulley wheel 52 is operatively connected to the powertake-01f of the tractor through a belt or like. By providing the crossbeam I9, guide tracks I! and I8, and the brace rods 20 and 2|, theentire assembly is made rigid with a minimum of weight. The transmissionassembly between the power take-off and the winch drum needs only onecontrol to provide the functions of a power driven shaft, a free runningclutch, and a brake assembly all within a forward and rearward movementof the rod 58.

When it is desired to extend the height of the assembly, it is merelynecessary to add an additional section of guide track l3 and I4 to theupper end. Sufficient cable 66 can be carried on the drum 63 toanticipate such an extension, and the member 44 can be placed on top ofthe added section to provide the arms 46 and 41 and pulley wheel 45. Byusing an angular top rail with the vertical guide sections and by usingangular supports on the beam 44, the whole device will be centered andheld rigidly on the top of the vertical guide tracks.

Thus, it will be seen that I have provided a loader which fulfills allof my objects and presents many more obvious advantages. The device isversatile in its many adaptations, is easily placed on or removed from atractor, has but two controls to operate, and will perform the functionof apower scoop or loader, a carrier and any other operations of asimilar nature. The device possesses great power, is extremely light inweight, and is readily adaptable to changing conditions or types ofwork. In this connection, the latch plate 31 may be adjusted to provideany desired angle to the forward portion of the scoop 29 and obviouslyany type of scoop or shovel may be employed in place of the type we haveshown.

Hereinafter, the assembly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings andconsistingof the guides l1 and 18, the beam I9, cross braces 20 and 2|,hangers 22 and 23, and rollers 24 and 25 will be referred to as thecarrier. The friction clutch arrangement 59, Winch'63, friction wheel54, and attendant mechanism will hereinafter be called the winchoperating mechanism. The loader, scoop or shovel assembly 25 willhereinafter be referred to as a bucket element. The chain element 48,spring 49 and plate 50 will hereinafter be called a bucket returningmeans.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of ourimproved loader without departing from the real spirit and pur-- pose ofour invention, and it is our intention to cover by our claims anymodified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which maybe reasonably included within their scope.

We claim:

1. In a' loader, a beam element having its rearward end pivotallysecured to the rear axle of a tractor, a vertical guide track secured tothe forward portion of the tractor, a carrier member consisting of across bar operatively mounted on said guide track and having hangerscapable of operatively engaging said beam element, a bucket elementpivotally secured to the forward end of said beam, an engaging meansoperatively secured to said beam, a latch bar on said bucket capable ofbeing engaged by said engaging means at times, a means for manuallydisengaging said engaging means from said latch bar at times, a winchmechanism operatively secured to said vertical guide element and havinga drum thereon, a cable operatively secured to said drum extendingthrough a pulley adjacent the top of said vertical guide element andhaving its other end secured to said carrier member, a means foroperatively selectively connecting said winch mechanism to the powertake-off of a tractor by means of a manual control, and a bucket returnmechanism including a lever on the bucket and a flexible member andspring secured to the lever and to a stationary part of the loader tocause the bucket to return to loading position when lowered, the bucketreturn mechanism being capable of returning said bucket so that saidlatch bar is in engagement with said engaging means when said beamelement is lowered by said carrier after said bucket has been releasedfrom said engaging means.

2. In a device of the class described, a vertical guide track secured tothe forward end of a, tractor or like, a carrier mechanism consisting ofa cross bar slidably mounted on said vertical guide track, hangermembers on said cross bar, a beam element pivotally secured to thetractor to the rear of said vertical guide tracks and operativelyengaged by said hanger members on said carrier, a scoop elementpivotally secured to the forward end of said beam forwardly of saidhanger element, a winch assembly secured to said vertical guide track inoperative engagement with the power take-off of a tractor, atransmission assembly, a means for manually selectively engaging saidtransmission assembly to said winch drum assembly at times, a cableoperatively mounted on the drum of said winch assembly extending up andover the end of said vertical guide track and having its other endsecured to said cross bar for permitting the raising of said cross baronsaid vertical guide track when said winch drum assembly is connectedthrough the transmission to the power take-off of a tractor, a latchmechanism operatively mounted on said beam and capable of holding saidscoop element in rigid alignment at times, means for manuallydisengaging said latch mechanism from saidscoop for permitting saidscoop to pivot at times, and a return mechanism having one endoperatively secured by spring means to said vertical guide track and itsother end secured to said scoop element through a fixed pulley forreturning said scoop element into engagement with said latch elementwhile said beam and said scoop are being brought to a lowered positionby said carrier.

3. In a device of the class described, a vertical guide track secured tothe forward end of a tractor or like, a carrier mechanism slidablymounted on said vertical guide track, hanger members on said carrier, abeam element pivotally secured to the tractor to the rear of saidvertical guide tracks and operatively engaged by said hanger members onsaid carrier, a scoop element pivotally secured -to the forward end ofsaid beam forwardly of said hanger element, a winch assembly secured tosaid vertical guide track in operative engagement with the powertake-oi! of a tractor, a transmission assembly, a means for manuallyselectively engaging said transmission assembly to said winch drumassembly at times,

a cable operatively mountedon the drum of said winch assembly extendingup and over the end of said vertical guide track and having its otherend secured to said carrier for permitting the raising of said carrieron said vertical guide track when said winch dmm assembly is connectedthrough the transmission to the power take-of! of a tractor, a latchmeans secured to said scoop element, an engaging means operativelymounted on said beam, an adjustable catch element on said engaging meanscapable of contacting said latch assembly on said scoop for holdingit"in rigid alignment at times, an operating lever secured to saidengaging means for permitting the manual disengagement of the engagingmeans from said latch assembly, a means for yieldingly returning saidengaging means to an operating position, and a means for returning saidscoop element to a position where it will be engaged by said engagingmeans when said beam and said scoop are brought to a lowered position.

4. In a device of the class described, a vertical guide track designedto be secured to the forward portion of a tractor, a carrier mechanismopera tively mounted on said vertical guide track, beam members havingtheir rearward ends pivotally secured to the rear of a tractor andcapable of being raised by said carrier at times, a bucket scoopoperatively secured to the forward end of said beam members, a winchassembly secured adiacent said vertical guide tracks and comprising, afriction wheel capable of being operatively connected to the powertake-off of a tractor, a transmission wheel rotatably mounted adjacentsaid friction wheel, a lever member pivotally secured to the shaft ofsaid transmission wheel, a brake shoe adjacent said transmission wheel,a drum element in operative engagement with said transmission wheel, anda cable having one end secured to said drum element and the other end inoperative engagement with said carrier;

said transmission element being placed in engagement with said frictionwheel when said lever member is moved in one direction being out ofengagement with said friction wheel when said lever is in a neutralposition and said transmission wheel being braked by said brake shoewhen said lever is in its other extreme position for controlling themovement of said drum.

5. In a device of the class described, a vertical guide track designedto be secured to the forward portion of a tractor, a carrier mechanismoperatively mounted on said vertical guide track, beam members havingtheir rearward ends pivotally secured to the rear of a tractor andcapable of being raised by said carrier at times, a bucket scoopoperatively secured to, the forward end of said beam members, a winchassembly operatively secured adjacent said vertical guide tracks andselectively operatively engaging the power take-off of a tractor, ameans connecting said winch assembly to said carrier for moving saidcarrier on said vertical guide tracks, a means' for rigidly securingsaid bucket scoop .in position relative to said beam members at times, alever for manually disengaging said securing means for permitting saidbucket scoop to Pivot on said beams at times,.andareturn mechanismconsisting of a lever on the bucket scoop and a flexible member anchoredto the tractor capable of returning said bucket into engagement withsaid securement means when said carrier is brought to a loweredposition. 6. In a device of the class described, a vertical guide trackdesigned to be secured to .the

forward portion of a tractor, a carrier mechanism operatively mounted onsaid vertical guide track, beam members having their rearward endspivotally secured to the rear of a tractor and capable of being raisedby said carrier at times, a bucket scoop operatively secured to theforward end of said beam members, a transmission element adjacent saidvertical guide members and capable of being selectively engaged by thepower take-off of a tractor at times, a means for operatively securingsaid transmission element to said carrier for permitting said carrier tobe raised on said vertical guide tracks when said transmission elementis in operative communication with the power take-off of a tractor; ameans for releasing said transmission at times,

a releasable latch mechanism for securing said to said bucket scoop forreturning said bucket scoop to a latched position when said beams arelowered by said carrier.

7. In a tractor mounted loader, a side frame secured to the sides of thetractor and extending forwardly therefrom, a vertical frame secured tothe forward end of the side frame, a winch mounted in the verticalframe,the winch including a drive pulley mounted for vertical movement, abrake shoe mounted on one side of the winch frame, a pulley for drivingthe drive pulley mounted opposite the brake shoef. control means forpositively moving the drive pulley up and down to selectively drive thedrive pulley or apply the brake-shoe to the drive pulley, a scoopmounted for vertical movement with reference to the side frame andvertical frame, a cable

